Three works by unexpected artist Robert Sadler feature in our upcoming 25 April Modern & Contemporary Art Sale, here we discover more about his life and works.
31 March 2023
Robert Sadler (1909-2001) was born in Newmarket, Suffolk, the son of a racehorse trainer. By the age of fourteen he was drawing and painting aeroplanes, horses, houses and landscapes. He joined the Royal Air Force and, in 1942, whilst posted to the Air Ministry as 'Director of Plans', he attended art school in London. In 1953 he moved to the USA to take up the post as representative on the NATO Joint Chiefs of Staff Intelligence Committee, during which period he attended the Corcoran School of Art in Washington DC, where he first encountered the work of the American Abstract Expressionists. Returning to the UK in 1955, having retired from the RAF, he moved back to Newmarket, in his words: 'to devote the rest of my life to painting'.
He exhibited widely during his working life. His first one-man show was at Swaffham Prior, Cambridge, and from then until 1963 he lived and painted in a largely abstract expressionist style, influenced by the École de Paris Tachisme of Poliakoff and de Stael, and by the contemporary British work of Peter Lanyon, William Scott, Bryan Wynter and Adrian Heath. In 1964 Sadler moved to Aldeburgh, Suffolk and built a new studio at 39 The Terrace, where he lived until his death in August 2001.
In recent years Sworders have sold nearly 100 works by Robert Sadler and are pleased to offer the following three paintings from the estate of the artist.
For further information about our upcoming 25 April Modern & Contemporary Art Sale, please contact Amy Scanlon | pictures@sworder.co.uk
Thoughtfully curated works from a Chester Jones designed interior will be offered in the upcoming 25 & 26 March Fine Interiors sale. Further treasures from the collection will then appear in Sworders’ Modern & Contemporary Art, Design, and Old Master, British and European Art auctions.
13 March 2025
We are delighted to present Paul Atkinson | The Nomadic Collector, a two-day sale at Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers on 13 and 14 May 2025. This remarkable collection, spanning continents and centuries, reflects Paul’s insatiable curiosity and lifelong passion for dealing, with highlights including Grand Tour bronzes, Anglo-Indian carvings, Ottoman swords, African tribal masks, and European furniture.
11 March 2025
The medals and ephemera of Air Commodore Vic Willis will be offered as part of our upcoming Homes and Interiors (with Arms and Militaria) auction, taking place on Tuesday 18 & Wednesday 19 March.
11 March 2025